
SPOtTftNE-.'NftSH 




































































E R. HINES, a noted state historian, says: 

“Beautiful for situation, the joy of the 
whole earth is this Spokane. The city is 
located in the very heart of the most per¬ 
fect scenic poem. Form and color and 
motion have their most perfect blending. Wood¬ 
lands, lawns and waters mingle green softness, gray 
soberness and silver brightness in one long and 
broad picture such as no hand but that of the Infi¬ 
nite Artist could ever touch. Just where the Spo¬ 
kane River, which has come wandering down 
through the plains for many miles, breaks into 
laughing ripples, then speeds away through the vari¬ 
ous channels for a half-mile race of dashing and 
jeweled beauty, and then leaps and rushes out of 
sight into the deep basaltic chasms of its lower flow, 
the city crosses plain and river and rises up the hill 
slopes that echo back the soft and incomparable 
music of the cascade. The divine marvel of its 
jeweled setting is matched by the human marvel 
of its own growth and beauty.” 



r 


If you want to know more about Spokane, its 
business opportunities, chances for investment and 
the advantages offered manufacturers; its climate, 
its schools and churches, and the other desirable 
features for a home; or if you want to know more 
about the surrounding country and its wonderful 
natural resources, address the Spokane Chamber of 
Commerce, Spokane, Wash. 








































“I NEVER SAW 
TWO SUCH CITIES ANY 
WHERE AS SPOKANE 
AND SEATTLE. IF 
MY ELDEST BOY WAS 
LARGE ENOUGH TO BE 
CHOOSING A PLACE. I 
WOULD ADVISE HIM 
TO LOCATE IN ONE OR 
THE OTHER OF THOSE 
CITIES AND IT IS A 
SHAKE-UP BETWEEN 
THEM." 







A SPOKANE 
STREET SCENE 
IN 1883 LOOKING 
FROM THE 
PRESENT SITE OF 
THE CHAMBER 
OF COMMERCE 
OFFICE. 

AND THE 
SAME TWENTY 
YEARS LATER. 


§ 




POIYANE. (pronounced Spo-kan) is the county scat of Spokane County Washington, and 
the metropolis, manufacturing, commercial and distributing center of Eastern Washington, 
Northern Idaho, Western Montana and Eastern Oregon. First settlement, 1872. Popula¬ 
tion 1880, 300; 1890, 19.222; 1900, 36,848; 1906, 84,660; 1907, 95,990. There has been 
a steady growth of a little over 9,000 per annum since 1900. 




















































SETTLEMENT was first 
made at Spokane in the 
summer of 1872. In 1876 
the first grist and saw 
mill was erected, utiliz¬ 
ing power from the 
falls. The first bank 
and first newspaper 
were established 1879. 
The Northern Pacific 
Railway entered from 
the west in 1881, and 
in that year the town 
was incorporated, with 
a population of about 
five hundred. Hon. 
Robert W. Forrest, a 
native of Pennsylvania, 
was the first mayor In 
this year a second flour 
mill and a second newspaper 
were established. Spokane was made 
the permanent county seat in 1882. In 1883 the first disastrous fire occurred, 
and again in the summer of 1889 fire wiped out the entire business portion of 
the town. Thirty blocks were included in the burnt section. Work was im¬ 
mediately begun to build the city anew. The city council voted to extend the 
fire limits and to rigidly enforce the ordinance prohibiting the erection of 
wooden structures within the limits so fixed. As a result, Spokane is today 
the best built city in the West. The rapid growth of the city began with the 
completion of the Northern Pacific Railway in 1883. That the usual standards 
of growth as recognized in the East cannot be applied in measuring the rapid 
increase of population of Western cities is apparent when it is considered that 
Spokane, from a population of less than 500 souls in 1881, attained to a popula¬ 
tion of 19,222 (Federal census) in 1890, or less than a decade. C, The derivation 
of the word Spokane is not definitely known. It is from the language of the 
Indians who formerly held sway here and whose descendants are now on a 
reservation fifty miles northwest of the city. Much of the legendary lore of the 
tribe has been lost. Even the early interpreters of the language are at vari¬ 
ance in their understanding of the meaning of the word Spokane. Ross Cox, 
an early writer, says that the chief of the tribe is known as “Illim-Spokanee,” 
which means “Son of the Sun.” From this and from the nature of the country, 
being more open and having more sunshine than that of the Colvilles, inhabit¬ 
ing the valleys to the north, or of the Coeur d’Alenes, whose hunting grounds 
were in the mountains and foot-hills to the east, the tribal name is interpreted 
to mean “Children of the Sun.” C. M - M. Crowley, an early settler who traded 
with the Indians for many years, and through whose influence the Spokanes 
were prevented from joining with Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe in a war 
of extermination against the settlers of the Spokane Valley, says that Spokane 
was pronounced by the Indians “Spokan,” and means “wheat,” and that a 
literal interpretation is “the men who live in the country which grows the 
wheat,” to distinguish them from the Colvilles, Coeur d’Alenes, Nez Perces 
and other tribes who inhabited the districts in which wild game abounded. 
They also have a word very similar but pronounced “Spo-kan-ee.” which means 
“the sun.” From the two words, “Spokan” and “Spo-kan-ee,” the early settlers 
evolved the name Spokane (pronounced “Spo-kan”) which was given to the 
Indians as a tribal name. The original tribal name of the Spokane Indians 
is “Sin-co-mahn-nah,” the meaning of which has long since been lost. 


L. G. MONROE, Secretary. 


i 


























OORING NORTHEAST from Spokesman-Review tower; Howard st.; Riverside 
Ave. after great fire of 1889; corner Riverside Ave. and Wall St. after fire and as it appears 
today. Old National Bank, built of marble, has replaced burned wooden structure. Spo¬ 
kane’s ten banking institutions show deposits of $24,341,000, equivalent to $254 per 
man, woman and child; clearings, 1905, $164,099,042; 1906, $228.452,196. 



















































TREET SCENES in business section, showing what has been accomplished since 1890. 
Riverside and Sprague Avenues and Post and Howard Streets are the thoroughfares repre¬ 
sented. A notable fact is that over 90 per cent of the real estate, improvements and 
wealth are owned by Spokane citizens. Spokane offers more and better opportunities for 
the investment of capital than any other city in the West. 














































IRDSHYE. VIE-W OF SPORANE and a few representative business blocks, show¬ 
ing modern apartment house, Empire State building, Auditorium Theater, Exchange Bank, 
Spokesman-Review, and Victoria Hotel in the order named. Bradstreets for 1906 shows 
1,559 business establishments with total capital invested, $60,000,000. The total value 
of manufactured products for 1906 is estimated at $12,000,000. _ 


















































iverside: avenue from Review tower; ‘‘Seeing Spokane’’ observation car; Great 
Northern depot; Coeur d’Alene suburban train; Northern Pacific bridge across Pend 
d’Oreille Lake; Spokane valley with North Coast Limited in distance. Spokane is the 
greatest railway center west of St. Paul and the Missouri river. Four transcontinental 
railways, three suburban electric lines and seven branch l’oads center here. 


































A vF N PORT’S RESTAURANT —finest in the world. Spokane Hotel and Ye Silver 

rj r jll_nothing like it elsewhere in America. Spokane’s remarkably delightful climate as 

compared with other sections of the United States is due to elevation (1950 ft.), prevailing 
southwest winds which blow from the Equatorial currents of the Pacific ocean, and high 
mountains which shut in the country on the north, east and west,_ 






























































OME NOTABLE BUILDINGS —City Hall, Carnegie Public Library, County Court 
House, St. Luke’s Hospital and Masonic Temple. Spokane is the strongest secret society 
city in the west. There are 99 lodges, with a total membership of nearly 14,500. There 
are seven public and seven private hospitals. The city has a low death rate. The annual 
death rate is 9.3 to 1,000 population. _ _ 











































H IlX'OF THE 23 PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDINGS of Spokane. The buildings 

are of brick and stone and cost $1,250,000. They are the finest in the west and compare 
favorably with any other city in the Union of twice the population. The High School, 
right center, cost,‘$175,000. The school census for 1907 shows 15,575 children over five 
_| years of age, as against 7,639 in 1900 













































c 


HURCHES or SPOKANE —Christian, Protestant Episcopal, United Presbyterian 
Catholic and Congregational. There are 75 church edifices and 115 church organizations’ 
representing almost every religious denomination in the world. There is a gain of 29 
church organizations since 1902. Editor Page, of “World’s Work,’’ says, “Spokane is 
the most representative American city in the United States.’’ 





































B POK-A.NE- COUNTRY CLUB showing club building, tennis grounds and interior 
views. The club has fine golf links and extensive grounds overlooking the city. The club 
and grounds are open to tourists who are invited to visit them. No other section of the 
continent has a finer summer climate. The nearby mountain lakes and rivers teem with 
trout and are unsurpassed for beautiful scenery. _ 





























CLUB, showing the exterior and interior views of dining room, hall narlor 
and billiard room. The membership numbers about 350 and includes the leading business 
and professional men of the city. A large number of mining men and others in the sur¬ 
rounding towns carry memberships and make the club their home while in the citv The 
club is one of the finest in the West. 














































POM ANF AMATEUR ATHLETIC CLUB, Showing exterior and interior views 
of hall gymnasium reading room and billiard room. Cost. $125,000. Building and 
grounds are owned by the club. Total membership about 1,200 This, club has not a. peer 
on the Pacific slope. A cordial invitation is extended all tourists to visit this model insti¬ 
tution. Its location is delightful, overlooking the lower falls._ 

















































O. 2 28, B. P. O. E., SPOKANE, showing exterior of building and interior views 
of hall and lodge room. Cost $90,000. Total membership 1,200. One of the richest Elks 
lodges in America. Gonzaga College, largest Catholic institution in the West, showing main 
building and interior views of gymnasium and billiard hall. The college is conducted by 
the Jesuit Fathers. About 400 students are enrolled. 





















































WTFRSTATE FAIR AT SPORANE, showing race track grand stand and fruit 
N pv hi hits ^ Here are gathered in October the marvelous products of the Spokane country. 

& »ll.Oif potatoes, $67.20. Individual yields run much higher.- 




































river is • 'the^ifer-thlt-^oriS,alphas” aVl! ST^To «eet t in‘*100 t miSes em B^'d 11 
lru “ Ms transmitted ive? 100 

over one-fifth of the annua 































mmmm 




At extreme low water this fall of 68 feet develops 15,000 electrical horsepower. The Spokane 
ew of Middle Falls and manufacturing district, taken in 1906. Electrical power 
s silver-lead mines of the Coeur d’Alenes, Idaho, which produce 
lead output of the world. 

























t 











































A.RH.S ARE PLENTIFUL IN SPORANE -The above pictures give soire idea 
A 1 of the beauty of these pleasure resorts. Aside from the public parks there are various 
nearby lakes reached by railroad and suburban electric lines. Medical Lake, 16 miles west 
of the city, is one of the wonders of the west. Salts extracted from the water are used 
UH for various medicinal purposes. _ 
































CITY or BEAUTIFUL HOMES —Enjoys a delightful climate. Transition from 
cold of winter to warmth of summer, or vice versa, occurs gradually by comparatively small 
changes of mean temperature. Sudden violent changes of temperature seldom occur. Earth¬ 
quakes, cyclones and tornadoes are unknown except in name. Thunder storms are rare, 
and seldom, if ever, of the violent kind experienced in thfe eastern, states. 






















































OSX FALLS —Three views of Spokane river, Lake Pend d’Oreille, Spokane Indian 
tepees and a view of the Spokane valley, with Mt. Carleton in the distance. The Spokane 
valley is destined to become one vast garden producing the finest vegetables, apples, pears, 
peaches, prunes, cherries, berries, melons and agricultural products known to man. Irri¬ 
gation has made this valley blossom as the rose. 




























MONG THE. NEW BUILDINGS announced for early construction are a Federal 
building, for which $500,000 has already been appropriated; 12-story apartment house 
$350,000; August Paulsen building, $750,000; Sacred Heart Hospital, $250 000- Whole¬ 
sale Hardware, $400,000; Wholesale Dry Goods, $190,000; Baptist Church, $75,000 two 
Department Stores, $350,000. In the year 1906 building permits aggregated’ $3.801.859. 




































m, 


OUNTAINS, FORESTS, LAtiES AND IVIVE.RS vie with each other in making 
Sunny Spokane (Children-of-the-Sun) a veritable paradise for the tourist, homeseeker and 
investor. Seeing is believing. No trip to the Pacific Coast is complete without a “Stop 
at Spokane.’’ On this page are views of Post Falls, St. Joe River, City Water Works, 
Pyramid Rocks, Lake Coeur d’Alene and Lake Chelan. 





























OME, OF THE ‘ MINING BARONS.” Total output of mines of Spokane country, 
most of which are controlled by Sp ikane capital, amounts to nearly $32 000,000 per annum. 
The low relative humidity of Eastern Washington during the warm season accounts for 
the freedom from heat prostration or sunstroke for which the Sp *kane country is noted. 
The nights are always cool, even in warmest weather. 












































IEWS or THE. CRYSTAL CATARACTS in the heart of the city. Greatest 
water power west of Niagara. Total fall of 132 feet in a quarter of a mile; Lower 
Falls have 32,000 horsepower minimum capacity; 15,000 electrical horsepower developed; 
electrical power is furnished manufacturers on the Niagara scale. It lights the city, 
operates the mills. 95 miles of st7-eet railways and 254 miles of suburban. 

















































HE MARVELOUS GROWTH OF SPOftANE is exemplified in the building 
record. For the first nine months of 1907, 1,439 permits were issued for buildings, valued 
at $4,916,134. From 1900 to 1906, inclusive, a total of 9,767 building permits were issued, 
having a total estimated cost of $17,840,726. Building material is cheaper in Spokane 
than in the eastern states or in the middle west. 






































ITS OF SCENERY which have made Spokane famous. Panel pictures of north and 
south channels of Spokane river at Post Falls; Pend d’Oreille river and lake; Pieriwee 
Falls, 450 feet high; Spokane valley. Whether seeking rest, health or recreation the 
tourist will not be disappointed by a visit to the Spokane country. Big game abounds in 
the forests and foothills easily reached from Spokane. 








































D HIRTY-TWO ARCHITECTS IN SPOKANE and the greatest diversity of 
architecture in its residences of any city of its size in the United States. Tax valuation 
for 1907 city property, $35,666,387 ; county, $54,582,365. There has been a gain of nearly 
$8,500,000 in the assessed valuation in this city and nearly $18,000,000, or approximately 
50 per cent gain for the county over 1905. 


















































EAUTirUL SPOKANE SCENERY —Post Falls; St. Joe River (more beautiful 
than the Hudson) ; moonlight on the Spokane River; shady dell; frost scene, Spokane lawn; 
giant cactus; beautiful St. Joe. A trip up Coeur d’Alene Lake and St. Joe River will 
afford the tourist and sightseer a scenic panorama unsurpassed on this continent. These 
attractions make Spokane and vicinity an ideal place in which to enjoy a summer vacation. 
























YPIC.AL SPOKANE SCENERY. Spokane river, near Gonzaga College; sunset 
Spokane river from Monroe Street bridge; Newman lake, Spokane valley; Latah creek 
bridge; Spokane river above Post Falls at low water mark; St. Joe. Post Falls have a 
total capacity of about 20,000 horsepower of which 15.000 is developed and 9,000 utilized. 
The falls are located in the heart of the irrigated district. _ 




































O HEIVE ARE 339 TEACHERS EMPLOYED in the public schools of Spokane, 
whose average monthly salary is $132.27 for men and $94.13 for women. It cost 
$397,443.50 to maintain the public schools of Spokane for the fiscal year ending June, 30, 
1907. The above pictures show Great Northern depot, a mining baron’s residence, St. Joe 
_river, Coeur d’Alene Park and a residence street. 










































AGNIFICENT NATURAL RESOURCES of the surrounding 1 ‘country (back of 
Spokane)' which have made possible the development of this modern city. The Spokane 
country produces annually 1.250,000,000 feet of lumber; $32,000,000 in minerals: 45.000,- 
000 bushels of wheat; $9,000,000 in fruit; $4,500,000 in dairy products; $14,000,000 in 
live stock, and $12,500,000 in other farm products. No crop failures. 















































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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 


00021351351 


